Information and interactive mobile services available to mobile vehicles are increasing due to the demand of mobile vehicle operators for services such as navigation assistance, directory assistance, vehicle maintenance assistance, roadside assistance, information services assistance and emergency assistance. Requests for many of these services occur when a vehicle is outside of a home region, for example, during personal travel or business trips to neighboring or distant cities. Presently, on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems are incorporated into all modern vehicles, and provide an electronic solution for controlling, diagnosing, and reporting the operating state of the vehicle.
Currently, automobile manufacturers provide the type of recommended fuel (minimum octane number) in owner's manuals for each model automobile. However, this recommendation typically falls short of providing optimal guidance to the owner for a number of reasons. For example, when an automobile is driven on hot, dry days, on hilly roads or is used to pull a trailer, the automobile requires a more knock resistant fuel than it would in ordinary driving. Also, vehicles supposedly identical in design and construction can have significant differences in their potential to knock (octane requirement). Moreover, octane requirements frequently increase with mileage as deposits accumulate and change with engine wear.
It is desired to provide improved fuel recommendations to vehicle owners.